Ambrose
by fhjirskv
Summary: A contemplative ceremony. War has plagued the land, raped it of all its flourish, and Zelda's paid the price. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: I haven't written LoZ in just about forever, so please be patient with me. It felt good to be back, though, I will admit. I really don't have much to say about this, except I was testing my hand at present tense, so if it doesn't really make sense, that's probably why. On any note, enjoy.**

Some Have Greatness Thrust Upon Them  
By me, Cassi Mo.

No one is immortal. Neither heroes nor legends live forever, although their stories may surpass them in years. Even the goddesses who govern our beloved land are simply mortals, with their power passed on from chosen ones to chosen ones over the generations. If one were to sneak into the Sacred Realm where they cower and murder them in their slumber, it could be done.

I have not had this philosophy on life, or rather, the lack thereof, for ever. Three days ago, I lived on the theory that if you were an important enough aspect in the population's lives, you were invincible. I believed that love conquered all, that even death could not stop true love. This, consequently, made the transition to reality that much more harsh.

Two days ago, I received word that both my father and my lover died that morning in the war waged against a neighboring land. My father, the king, the only ruler of my homeland, was dead. Just like that. The royal family, I knew, was the only exception to the immortality requirements, for if one person ruled for too long, power lust would settle, and the ruler would grow corrupt. My mother had died in childbirth, a demise not uncommon in those days, so I was not unexposed to the death of a loved one. Death to a king or queen was just nature's way of keeping our civilization in balance, and I knew that my only parent had done his time and his tap city was imminent, yet I had not expected it to be so sudden.

My lover, renowned across the lands as the Great Hero, responsible for bringing the formerly warring species to peace amongst themselves and for saving many cultures from otherwise certain death, the one who I believed whole-heartedly to be immortal, was gone as well. I do not know the specifics of how he died on the battlefield, nor do I wish to. It would only increase my grief, my longing to see him once again.

A light rain pelts my face and mingles with my tears as I stand before the newly dug graves of these two men who were such a part of my life and now are no more. War is a cursed thing, taking innocent lives for its own selfish purposes, raping the lands and people involved, not caring who dies, as long as the blood is shed. My coronation as queen of Hyrule will start in a matter of hours, but I am not sure I am ready for it at the age of fourteen.

The delusions I thrived on before this day and what I now know create a paradox in themselves, each effectively nullifying the other, and no number of sleepless nights will find a loophole. Death cannot stop true love, and yet, no one is immortal. The only explanation for this is that there is no such thing as true love. What Link and I shared, that could not have been true love, for he is dead, and watching the pallbearers lower his casket next to my father as an honorary royal, the one who everyone expected to succeed him at the throne, I am further convinced of this. There is a reason true love only exists in fiction, and it is because in reality, true love is nonexistent. Fiction is the only place it could possibly be, for anything can happen in fiction.

Once their graves are filled over with damp soil, I toss all matters of propriety away, running to their new homes, and fling myself at their headstones, not minding the fact that my black dress is quickly turning brown. I bury my face into my hands and wail plaintively, and no one tries to stop me. Only when I am temporarily dry and empty do I compose myself and turn back to the crowd of mourners. As is custom at Hylian funerals, close relatives and friends come and say something once they have been covered in earth. Few, if any can hear my words. With tears streaming anew from my eyes, I barely whisper a few words, some of the last while still bearing the title _Princess _Zelda.

"I will avenge you."


End file.
